do one's duty
Idioms-
Do one's tasks or what is expected of one. For example, He was only doing his duty when he made the children finish their work . [Early 1500s]
-
Defecate or urinate, as in Please keep the dog outdoors until he does his duty . This euphemism for attending to such needs is heard less often today. [1930s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As someone who’s been working on a book about cowardice for over a decade, I know that it’s a slippery concept, but also that classical, linguistic and military tradition define it pretty clearly as the failure, born of excessive fear, to do one’s duty.
From Salon
"I felt it was my duty to come. I certainly felt it would be an unpleasant experience, but that's not a good enough reason not to do one's duty."
From BBC
However, it is not only virtuous to do one's duty, but it is also the duty of the individual to do his best.
From Project Gutenberg
To do one's duty sounds a rather cold and cheerless business, but somehow in the end it does give one a queer sort of satisfaction.
From Project Gutenberg
It's easy to do one's duty when one doesn't care.
From Project Gutenberg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
